I have been thinking about something about the GM situation

[Horse with no Name]

One of the talking heads said that the US Government was going to decide which cars GM made. They presented this in a negative light.
HOWEVER, the more I thought about it, the more I agree. Streamline it. We don't need 35 choices if 35 choices aren't viable.
Take it a step further even. Figure out the statistics of which cars actually get paid for.
If, for example...Ford sells 95% of Mustangs--but 90% of those are repossessed, the obviously they aren't the best seller.
However, if Buick sells 50% of Century's and 49% of those are paid for to the end of the note, then perhaps the demographics need to be looked at a little more carefully.

[DJ13]

1. A Democracy doesnt control production

Use incentives to make sure government desired products (like electric cars) be built, sure.

But just tell them what to make, no.

[Horse with no Name]

2. Sorry--the free market stops when the government has to bail them out

and that I agree with 100%. Left to their own devices--these car companies would give failed executives $23 million dollar golden parachutes (oh wait--that is EXACTLY what they did--and that would have paid for 230 employees for one year at a salary of $100,000).

[ColbertWatcher]

18. Since we bailed them out, I'd rather tell them to stop making one model or another ...

... rather than subsidize poor-selling models.

[ben_jenne]

3. Why not, it worked for the Yugo

[tnlefty]

4. Miles per gallon, anyone?

The last vehicle we purchased was an '04 (I think) 4 cylinder, 5 speed Saturn Vue. The gas mileage isn't great (20 something), but it was better than the automatics. Our college freshman is driving a 1994 Saturn SL1 or 2, manual transmission, 5 speed. We have looked at the later models, Ions, etc., and the miles per gallon are no where near the car that he is STILL driving after all of these years. Plus there seems to be a trend to get away from manual transmissions.

Miles per gallon is why we aren't looking to turn over vehicles here. :hi:

[Horse with no Name]

5. We get 34 mpg in my 1999 Dodge Neon and my daughters 1993 Toyota Corolla

We aren't looking to upgrade either.:hi:

[tnlefty]

7. And this is a major problem for me.

The UAW didn't make these decisions, management decided to build these vehicles, including Hummers, but they will be slammed because some of us were waiting for improvements in MPG because of environmental concerns, etc. If management hadn't had their heads up their collective asses the workers would be in better shape.

Roughly a year ago, I took the Vue in to have it serviced and one of the guys came out to find me (I was outside sitting under a tree reading) and we ended up talking about the electric car that GM used to make. The more that we talked the more pissed he became...I think that he was seeing what could have been and the hell that is going to be unleashed on them and the working guys had no control over any of it.

[Horse with no Name]

8. I think of it like this

Jimmy Carter was the father-figure that told us to do what we should--conserve our resources. He made us face these demons....turn our thermostats down, CAFE standards for vehicles, etc etc...and THEN the kindly old Reagan came along and said consume consume...don't conserve...party like it's 1999...and all that shit.
It is sad to think of what might have been if we had continued along the path of Carter.:(

[tnlefty]

9. Yep, and because of him and the tax incentives he offered we

had solar panels on the house that we had before the one we're in now. Uncle Ronnie took those away....bastard!

My thermostat in the winter is still set on 66 to 68 degrees and in the summer it's set on 86 for as long as I can get away with it. Working class Americans who want to do better are trapped in 'can't afford it'.

And yes, the path of Jimmy Carter would have put us in a much better situation and if the native son, Al Gore, had taken his rightful place in 2000, I think we'd be on a better path.

Pardon me, while I go throw up now.

[ben_jenne]

15. If the native son had won his native state

he would have taken his rightful place despite Florida! What were your neighbors thinking?

[tnlefty]

17. Well, my particular neighbors are a bunch of fucking idiots!

There was also election shenanigans, but I can vouch that my neighbors, except for one couple, are idjits.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[blue_onyx]

6. I don't think the US gov. will decide which vehicles will be made

GM will be streamlined. I think bankruptcy will happen and Saturn, Saab, Hummer, and Pontiac will all be gone within a year or two.

[C......N......C]

10. If the government decides which cars GM will make, then the government

will be responsible for GM's outcome. If the people in the industry couldn't figure out how to sell cars, how will legislators.

[Hannah Bell]

11. gm sold 9.4 million cars in 2007, more than any company in the world (toyota close #2, 9.37).

[C......N......C]

12. Do you think it is a car company problem or a world economic problem.

I think they are making these guys jump through hoops just because they have the power to make them jump. I think the drop off in car sales is worldwide due to unemployment.

[Hannah Bell]

13. i think observers *can't* know what the *real* problem is, but i definitely think car corps are

being told to jump through hoops.

why, is the question. my current theory: it's sideshow, gm *wants* bankruptcy.

[Horse with no Name]

16. With bankruptcy

they can shed the retirees and the unions in the restructure.
Yet the executives get their golden parachutes while the worker bees get their golden showers. Business as usual in the United States of Americard.

[doc03]

14. I just heard this morning that Toyota

has a 80 day supply of the Prius. What vehicles they are selling now are the big SUVs and pickups. How can we blame the US auto industry for no making what people want. The American people want a Prius when the gas is $4.00 then when it drops to $2.00 they go right out and buy another gas hog. How the hell can anybody figure what Americans want. It's obvious to me the oil industry is going to manipulate the gas prices to prevent us from ever getting off of oil. The Saudi Prince actually came out and said that is what they plan on doing. They are going to keep the prices just low enough to make it unprofitable to go to hybrids or electrics.